Casino gaming machines, in particular slot machines, are often used by patrons for extended periods of time. It is therefore common place to provide the user of a gaming machine a chair or stool to ensure their comfort. However, chairs often become displaced to locations remote from their intended position adjacent the gaming machine. The dislocation of the chairs with respect to the gaming machines detract from the aesthetic appearance of the symmetric gaming machines, and may interfere with the flow of traffic in the casino. Thus, it is desirable to provide a means for attaching a chair to a casino gaming machine, such that the chair will not get displaced. However, it is also necessary, on a daily basis, to access a cash box generally located on the lower front surface of the gaming machine. Therefore, a chair that is fixed to a gaming machine must be provided with a means of disengagement such that an operator may easily access the cash box.
Prior art devices of this type have relied on a variety of different support configurations to space and secure a seat in relation to a gaming machine. One such prior art device comprises a flat base member having a fastening plate on one end disposed perpendicular to the plane thereof, and having an upstanding seat configuration adjacent the opposite end thereof. The fastening plate is provided with a plurality of bolt holes for fastening the base member to the base of a casino gaming machine. Moreover, the fastening plate, once bolted, is not readily removable from the base of the casino gaming machine. Therefore, in order to access the cash box located within the base of the gaming machine an attendant must position himself, in a crouched condition, between the gaming machine and the upstanding seat configuration so as to remove the coinage from the cash box.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,343 entitled "QUICK RELEASE SEAT SUPPORT" which issued to George E. Gasser on June 20, 1989 includes a flat body member having an upturned portion at one end and a chair configuration extending adjacent the opposite end thereof. The quick release seat support further includes an inverted U-shaped spring member which is fixed to the base of a casino gaming machine. The spring member includes ar upright engagement portion having an outwardly extending flange portion with a downturned angularly inclined spring portion. In operation, the upturned portion of the flat body member is inserted into the elongated spring member such that the downturned angularly inclined spring portion deflects resiliently to allow registration of the upturned portion within the spring member. Thereafter, the downturned angularly inclined spring portion returns to its inwardly biased neutral position so as to apply a holding force against the upturned portion of the base member to resiliently inhibit movement of the base member within the spring member.
Inherent in the design of the quick release seat support disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,343 are several shortcomings. Primarily, the angularly inclined spring portion is fragile and may, over time, lose its resilient quality thereby reducing the magnitude of the force that is necessary to inhibit the lateral movement of the upturned portion of the flat body member therein. This may occur as a result of mishandling of the chairs, or even from the constant body movements of game players. Furthermore, continual daily removal of the upturned portion of the flat body member from the spring member in order to access a cash box and subsequent reinsertion therein may cause the resilient material of the spring member to become fatigued and eventually the spring portion may fracture and break. Still further, should the spring portion become weakened or bent, it may not be possible to accurately align the gaming chairs with the gaming machines. Thus, over time the asymmetric alignment of the gaming chairs may detract from the aesthetic appearance of the casino.
It is therefore an object of the subject invention to provide a detachable game stool assembly having a substantially rigid support member which will prohibit longitudinal and lateral movement of the base of the stool relative to the base of a casino gaming machine.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a detachable game stool assembly having a substantially rigid support member which will not deform as a result of repeated engagements with the base of the game stool.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a detachable game stool assembly having a rigid support member which will not weaken from a severe shock or vibrations.